Guelph man facing nearly 30 charges as more victims step forward

Police in Guelph say five new victims have been uncovered and ten new sex-related charges have been laid against 38-year-old Jeffrey Dakin. The investigation has also gone international.

In March, Dakin was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching as well as luring in connection with a young female.

After a second female victim came forward, charges of possessing child pornography, making child pornography, mischief, sexual assault and possession of a controlled substance were added in April.

Over the past six month, police say they have received and investigated a number of additional complaints against Dakin.

Guelph Police Service Sgt. Doug Pflug says “These ten new charges are in relation to three male victims and two female victims and these offences occurred in Thunder Bay, Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph.”

However, the investigation is ongoing across Canada and authorities in the U.K. and other European countries are now involved.

“We have information to believe that Dakin did…reside and/or spend time throughout Europe,” Pflug says.

More recently, Dakin had been a volunteer at the Elmira Theatre Company and Guelph Little Theatre as well as with other groups in southwestern Ontario.

He was apparently also involved in coaching youth sports, community agencies and theatre groups across Ontario as far back as the early 1990s.

When the first charges were laid in March, officials at the Guelph Little Theatre immediately suspended Dakin from his roles as director and vice president.

The volunteer organization has been cooperating with police and also created a committee to better monitor young cast and crew members.

President Ron Loncke says “There are a number of people who had worked with Mr. Dakin on productions and obviously this is a huge surprise for them.”

On Tuesday, Dakin appeared in court and was charged with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference, three counts of luring and three counts of invitation to sexual touching.

He remains free on $150,000 bail and under strict conditions and is expected back in court in October.